“We can’t find an excuse for a game like this. We have to flush it down the toilet,” Gallinari said.

If your only impression of the game is the score, know this: The Nuggets’ latest loss was much worse than 18 points. They got destroyed from the tip. Cody Zeller, looking like an all-star, dropped a game-high 21 on the Nuggets’ lacking defense. Fans in Section 130 started sarcastically cheering every Zeller play. He was the only exciting thing in the game.

The Nuggets, in response, showed very little.

And if Denver coach Brian Shaw wasn’t on the hot seat already, he may be now.

NEW YORK – Gary Harris will suit up for his second straight game, Nuggets coach Brian Shaw said Sunday morning.

The rookie impressed in his NBA debut, scoring 13 points on 6-of-10 shooting against the Indiana Pacers on Friday night. He added two steals and a block, displaying flashes of the type of defense he was known for in his two collegiate seasons at Michigan State.

“I liked the fact that he was poised,” Shaw said. “It was his first NBA action, in his hometown, and he looked like he belonged. He didn’t look back. He was very aggressive offensively, he was aggressive defensively. It was exactly what we needed. I think he got caught up a couple of times because he was going good, had a couple of heat-checks. But for the most part I was encouraged by his performance.”Read more…

LeBron James spoke to reporters after the Cavs’ morning shootaround in Denver and addressed (again) the struggles of his team, the reported/but refuted feud between him and point guard Kyrie Irving and what he sees in the Nuggets. The good part though is at the one-minute mark: Read more…

The 1-3 Nuggets host the 1-3 Cavaliers Friday evening in a matchup most expected (perhaps unreasonably so) to look wildly different at this point. The Cavs, with a new big three of LeBron James, Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving have struggled early, while James has faced the most criticism for being too passive.

The Nuggets didn’t carry as high of expectations this season, though the return of many players from injury gave fans hope that they wouldn’t see a repeat of last year’s 36-46 record.

But four games in both teams carry the same record, and the Nuggets’ official Twitter account took advantage Thursday.

UPDATED: As Washington’s Andre Miller was about to enter the game for the first time Sunday at the start of the second quarter. he and Denver coach Brian Shaw touched hands near the scorer’s table and briefly chatted.

A little less than an hour before the Nuggets-Wizards tipoff this afternoon, Andre Miller more directly than before commented on the fallout from his dispute with Nuggets coach Brian Shaw and why he didn’t rejoin the team before his trade to Washington.

“It was a decision made by both sides, to benefit both sides,” Miller said in response to my question in the Pepsi Center’s visiting dressing room. “I said I wanted to stay away and they granted it. I wasn’t like it was made out to be, ‘He’s disgruntled, he’s exiled from the team.’ That wasn’t the case. I had a choice.”

Cavs’ Tyler Zeller dunks in the first half. David Zalubowksi, Associated Press

I had the Nuggets tonight in relief of Chris Dempsey, and the game story on their 117-109 loss to Cleveland and a short sidebar on Cavaliers coach Mike Brown are (or will be) online. It has been noted many times that Brown started out as a summer intern and then a video coordinator with the Nuggets, but I was able to get a fresh take on that and also discuss his friendship with Colorado Avalanche general manager Greg Sherman.

Kenneth Faried gets off a shot against the Magic. Karl Gehring, Denver Post

I covered the Nuggets-Magic game Saturday night in relief of Chris Dempsey. Here’s the game story, which depending on when you click it, was updated or will be updated after being originally filed seconds after the final horn.

Here are additional post-game Brian Shaw comments.

“We’re doing a great job on the boards, sharing the ball, and because of that we’re shooting the ball very well right now during the streak,” he said.

Discussing Quincy Miller, Shaw said, “He’s getting opportunity, he’s making the most of it, and he’s getting more and more confident as he gets more time out there on the floor. So this is great for him.”

Denver Nuggets point guard Ty Lawson (3) battles for a loose ball in the first quarter. The Denver Nuggets took on the Golden State Warriors in Game 2 of the Western Conference First Round Series at the Pepsi Center in Denver.

The Denver Post’s Benjamin Hochman and Bay Area News Group’s Marcus Thompson and Monte Poole offer their insights and commentary on Game 3 between the No. 3-seeded Denver Nuggets and the No. 6-seeded Golden State Warriors. Tipoff for the Denver Nuggets vs Golden State Warriors is 8:30 p.m. Friday at ORACLE Arena in Oakland, Calif.

Draymond Green (23) of the Golden State Warriors talks with head coach Mark Jackson of the Golden State Warriors during practice April 22, 2013 at Pepsi Center.

Sure, Nuggets coach George Karl could go the radical route and drastically change his starting lineup tonight for Game 3 of his team’s series against Golden State.

But should he?

The first question that has to be asked is: What were the actual problems? I’d say those were a lack of effort and little-to-no attention to detail on defense. The Nuggets were careless as a team in ways they really weren’t in Game 1. And Golden State tricked up the game, to be sure. Warriors coach Mark Jackson went so far as to make a last-second decision to start Jarrett Jack instead of Carl Landry, which pushed Harrison Barnes to the power forward spot — where he was matched up with Wilson Chandler.

Asked about the team playing a back-to-back and its fourth game in five nights — all on the road — forward Kenneth Faried said: “Our guys have heart, but I’m a little nervous that some guys aren’t going to be able to play 100 percent or bring it. my advice would be to sit out, we need you in the long run.”

* Asked about last night’s loss, 109-108 at Toronto, center Kosta Koufos said, “There are no moral victories, it goes on two losses on our records. We are upset about it, we are hungry, and we want to win at Brooklyn.”

* The Nuggets are 11-17 on the road this season. … They’ve scored 100-plus points in 12-straight games. … They’ve scored 70 or more points in the paint four times this season, including last night at the Raptors. … Something to build on – Denver only committed one turnover in the fourth quarter of that game.

Ty Lawson leaned his head against his locker while he answered questions. He looked none the worse for the wear after logging 40 minutes in the Nuggets’ overtime victory over Portland, but that’s not how it started out.

Lawson started the day at home, missing shootaround with a light case of food poisoning. Pre-game, Nuggets coach George Karl proclaimed Lawson fit to play and afterward the speedy point guard said he had very little residual effect from a rough morning.

“I ate some bad food,” Lawson said. “I wasn’t going to let that effect me, unless I’m injured or something I’ll fight through it. I was a little bit tired the first couple of minutes, running up and down the court, but other than that I was cool.”

Cool? Yep. And then some. Lawson turned in one of his best games of the season, going for 24 points (on 10-of-19 shooting) and 12 assists. He had 11 points in the fourth quarter and overtime, getting the best of the matchup between he and Portland’s rookie sensation, Damian Lillard. Lillard finished with 16 points, eight rebounds and five assists. He had just six points, however, after the first quarter.

“I was just trying to attack,” Lawson said. “When I attack, it brings assists because people have to double me or come over and help. That’s what I was trying to do.”

Follow Chris Dempsey on Twitter @dempseypost or email him at cdempsey@denverpost.com

Happy Boxing Day. You might have caught the Lakers win against Melo and the Knicks yesterday. While Kobe put up big numbers and Pau Gasol made two great plays late, one could argue that the biggest importance was Steve Nash, playing in just his second game since returning from injury.

After the game, coach Mike D’Antoni told reporters:

“A point guard like him who has that respect, a lot of it is the credibility of doing it for a lot of years,” D’Antoni said after the Lakers beat the Knicks 100-94 for their fifth consecutive win. “He just puts everything in perspective and calms everybody down and gives you a chance to win every night. He keeps your energy up on defense because you’re not fighting yourself on the other end and you’re not being demoralized by things happening there. Everybody’s getting the ball, there’s a flow, and it feeds and it builds. It’s a like a little snowball that keeps getting bigger.”

With Danilo Gallinari out due to an ankle injury, coach George Karl has opted to start second-year shooter Jordan Hamilton at forward. The strategy keeps Karl’s bench and rotation in tact, allowing Wilson Chandler and Corey Brewer to play ample minutes off the bench. And t’s possible that Hamilton won’t be on the floor during crunch time.

Karl did this occasionally last season where, in efforts to keep his rotation in tact, he went farther down his bench to pluck a starter.

But, let’s give Hamilton some credit. The former Texas star had a very productive summer and has proven to be a sharp 3-point shooter. Tonight will be his biggest test yet.

That was the sentiment from Al Harrington, the Nuggets key reserve who has a torn meniscus in his knee. Denver, clinging onto a playoff spot, has nine games left, including tonight against Minnesota.

“You’re limited,” Harrington said today after shootaround, in regards to the injury. “You can’t really bend and explode. For me, the biggest thing it’s bothering me with is rebound. But I can move forward and laterally.

After missing one game with a right foot sprain, Ty Lawson proclaimed himself ready for action.

The Nuggets’ starting point guard participated in this morning’s shootaround and says he will play tonight against the Miami Heat.

“It felt good,” said Lawson post-shootaround. “I took a couple of days off and rested it.”

At 16.4 points per game, Lawson is the Nuggets’ second-leading scorer and engine behind the team’s high-octane offense, which scores more points (103.6) than every team in the NBA not named the Miami Heat. Nuggets coach George Karl doesn’t know how healthy a Lawson he’ll get, but he’s going to keep close watch.

“I don’t know,” Karl said. “He was at shootaround, he’s going to play; as well (Danilo Gallinari), as well as Nene. My evaluation is watching them in the game and seeing if they are seemingly into it or seemingly confused by protecting their injury. For me, to be honest with you, I don’t think it’s a game for injured players. If they are injured we’ll probably find that out pretty quick.”

Lawson freely admitted he was going to play in this game no matter what.

“(My foot) would probably have to be broke to miss this game,” Lawson said. “This is the biggest game of the year.”

Asked if he can do everything he needs to do to be successful on the basketball court, Lawson nodded.

“Yeah, I think so,” he said. “I’m pushing it, taking painkillers. I’ll be alright. I can do everything I want to do from jumping, pushing the ball and everything else in between.”

Follow Chris Dempsey on Twitter @dempseypost or email him at cdempsey@denverpost.com

Carmelo Anthony on the bench during the fourth quarter in a loss to the Spurs on Sunday. (AP)

SAN ANTONIO – It’s almost fitting that news broke of an impending meeting between the Nets and Nuggets star Carmelo Anthony in the city of the Alamo.

Consider this the Nuggets’ and Nets’ last stand. They can only hope it ends better than that did for the Texian Army in 1836.

Anthony doesn’t want to sign an extension with the Nets. If he did, this teeth-pulling exercise probably wouldn’t be necessary and he would have done so long ago. Anthony’s reluctance to give a definitive verdict — or the two organizations’ reluctance to accept one to the negative – has kept the Nets portion of the trade saga going. This is probably the week we reach a final ruling one way or another on a trade that involves Anthony and 13 or more other players, one of which is Chauncey Billups who’d rather stay in Denver.

Back-to-backs are tough. So are the Lakers. But in tonight’s back-to-back against the Lakers, the Nuggets do have one positive (actually, two) on their side – both Ty Lawson and Anthony Carter should be fresh and available off the bench.

In last night’s win at Oklahoma City, starting guard Arron Afflalo was on fi-ya. He was 7-for-14 from the field—and 3-for-3 from 3 – finishing with 17 points. He also logged a season-high 38 minutes, thus affecting Denver’s rotation. Acting coach Adrian Dantley kept Afflalo out there, so the reserve guard Lawson logged just four minutes and Carter logged just seven.

So, if Chauncey Billups or Afflalo looked gassed during the tonight’s big game at Pepsi Center, Dantley’s got two options to ignite his Nuggets. And, as we’ve seen, A.D. isn’t afraid to play both Lawson and Carter in the same backcourt.

NEW YORK — Yes, Ty Lawson is available for tonight’s game here in New York, but that doesn’t mean the reserve point guard will automatically return to his backup role. Acting coach Adrian Dantley pointed out at shootaround that Anthony Carter has been solid backing up Chauncey Billups.

“When you’ve got three point guards, there’s only so many minutes,” Dantley said, “and I know everybody wants him to play, but when somebody’s been playing really well, we’ll just have to wait and see how the game’s going on. We could use Ty’s speed – it definitely could help us.”

Lawson hasn’t played since Feb. 28 and while Dantley said he’s healthy, the coach also said “he’s got to work his way back into shape.”

As for forward Kenyon Martin, who is recovering from PRP therapy on his knee, he is on the trip and has begun slowly riding on a stationary bike. He said he will have his knee evaluated by his doctors in Vail after this road trip.

Acting Nuggets coach Adrian Dantley said Thursday he is planning on being the coach in tonight’s game against the Hornets at Pepsi Center, though it’s possible coach George Karl could be on the bench.

Dantley also said after Denver’s shootaround this morning that reserve center Chris Andersen (finger, ankle injuries) will likely try to play tonight. But, reserve guard Ty Lawson is out. Lawson told reporters he could be out another week while battling a left shoulder injury.

Tonight’s game tips off at an odd start time — 7:30 p.m. — because it will air nationally on TNT.

Chris Dempsey arrived at The Denver Post in Dec. 2003 after seven years at the Boulder Daily Camera, where he primarily covered the University of Colorado football and men's basketball teams. A University of Colorado-Boulder alumnus, Dempsey covers the Nuggets and also chips in on college sports.